Sash fastener



Aug. 16, 1938. F. N. HEARN SASH FASTENER Filed March 1, 1957 m m I I I III Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcs SASH FASTENER Francis N. Hearn, Silver Spring, Md.

Application March 1, 1937, Serial No. 128,508

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in sash fasteners and in particular to that type which is self-locking as an incident to the closure of the sashes to which it is applied.

I am aware that self-locking fasteners per se have been proposed heretofore and applied to various uses, but primarily such uses have been restricted more or less to the field where the latch bolt serves merely to establish an interlock between a closure member and its frame abutment or keeper, and not where there was any drawing or camming action additional to such interlock.

In the sash fastener art it has been customary to employ on one of the sashes a rotatable member having an interlocking cam for engagement with a hook device or keeperupon the mating sash, but such arrangement requires a conscious manual operation upon each closing operation of the sashes. Many times the sashes of windows in homes are inadvertently left unlocked because of the necessity to perform this separate operation or because the unlocked condition was unknown at the time.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a form of self-locking fastener in which not only an interlocking bolt action is obtained, but also a drawing together and camming action to bind the sashes together in order to prevent rattling and exclude wind, dust and cold.

A further object is to provide a construction of fastener embodying a spring actuated bolt, the operation of which automatically produces operation of the cooperating clamping means, either as regards clamping movement or release from clamping position.

To this end, my invention comprises a locking bolt and a shackle member cooperating therewith in such a manner that as the bolt is retracted in the closing of the sash carrying the same, the

shackle is drawn tightly against its engaging ele ment on the other sash and locking teeth on the bolt casing, said engaging relation being readily broken by retracting movement of the bolt when it is desired to open the sash member.

45 Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing:

50 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a fastener device constructed in accordance with this invention and shown in operative relation upon cooperating window sashes, said sashes being shown in section;

55 Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1 and with the locking members in locked and clamping engagement;

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view to that shown in Fig. 2, certain of the parts being shown in elevation, with the locking elements shown in re- 6 leased position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section of a modified form of fastener device;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line Y 55 of Fig. 4; ll)

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the locking bolt used in the form of the device shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a tail piece cooperative with the locking bolt shown in Fig. 6.

Like reference characters designate correspond 15 ing parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, A designates the upper sash of a window closure and B the lower sash, each having a meeting rail C and D, respectively, provided 20 with inclined contacting faces. My invention is designed to be mounted upon these rails after the manner of the usual rotatable locking member now in common usage. Said invention comprises the casing unit or section including the 25 casing l having horizontal flanges 2 through which fastening screws 3 are passed to secure this unit upon the meeting rail D of the lower sash B.

In this casing a beveled-nose locking bolt 4 is 3 held in outwardly extending position by means of a coil spring 5 seated between the rear end of the bolt and the rear wall la of the casing. Said bolt is reduced in Width at 6 intermediate its length to accommodate side guide and stop lugs 35 1 and 8. The lug l is provided with a transverse groove 9, one vertical wall of which is formed with serrations or teeth It), while the lug 8 at one side is also correspondingly toothed at ll.

The bolt or casing unit includes a substantial- 1y rectangular shackle member l2 extending out wardly through slots in the front wall lb of the casing and normally urged into its outward position, as shown in Fig. 3, by one leg of a V-shaped spring l3 held in one corner of the casing by the lug M. The other leg of the spring It tends to urge the shackle toward the teeth l6 and H so as to engage its laterally projecting teeth l5 and I6 therewith.

The rear end of the shackle lies in the plane of the locking bolt 4 above the spring 5 and in the retracting movement of the bolt, it will be brought against the end of the shackle and move the latter inwardly of the casing to its locking position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Manual operation of the bolt 4 is accomplished by the knob H, the stem of which extends through a slot l8 in the cover IQ of the casing I, and owing to the special formation of this slot, not only longitudinal movement may be imparted to the bolt, but lateral movement, said last mentioned movement bringing the lugs 20 and 2| of the bolt against the side of the shackle so as to displace said shackle laterally and release the interlocking teeth of this member from the casing teeth.

Passing now to the cooperating unit of this device on the opposing rail C, 22 designates the keeper having flanges 23 screwed to the rail by the screws 24. From this keeper, preferably, spaced vertical posts 25 extend upwardly so as to slidingly receive the outer end of the shackle as the lower sash is brought to closed position, the top portion of the posts being rounded so as to provide camming surfaces 25 to insure or facilitate engagement of the shackle therewith.

Describing the operation of this preferred form of my device, when the lower sash B is moved into lowered or closed position the shackle member l2 which is disposed in its outermost position passes over the posts 25 and then as the nose of the bolt comes into contact with the top front edge of the keeper 22, it is shifted inwardly of the casing l, the end of the shackle member sliding down the 7 surface of the posts during the closing operation. If the shackle member happens not to be in sufficiently extended position, the knob ll will be manually shifted laterally to release the shackle from the locking teeth.

As the bolt 4 moves rearwardly, the inner end of the same contacts with the rear cross member of the shackle and picks the shackle up to draw it into the casing correspondingly. This produces a clamping action between the units of the fastener device and in the retracting movement of the shackle, its teeth l5 and I6 ride over the teeth Ill and II of the casing until the limit of movement of the parts is caused, these teeth establishing an interlocking relation which holds the shackle in its locked or clamped position.

The bolt, after the outer extremity passes the upper edge of the keeper, slides outwardly under the action of its spring 5 to establish an interlock of the bolt with the keeper simultaneously with the clamping action above described with respect to the shackle member. In this way, the sashes are not only locked against vertical movement by the meeting rails, but are pulled together into contacting relation so as to close the space between the contacting faces of said rails.

When it is desired to release the sashes, the knob I! connected to the bolt 4 is moved laterally in the slot l8 to break the engagement of the teeth of the shackle and coacting teeth of the casing, allowing this member to move outwarly under the action of its spring [3 so as to free the clamping action of the shakle. By continued movement of the bolt rearwardly, said bolt is retracted sufficiently to clear its nose of the keeper whereupon the lower sash may be elevated in the customary manner, the shackle having been urged to move laterally to its normal position under the action of the side leg of the spring l3.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a slightly modified construction of the locking device in which the principles of the preferred form are also embodied, the main distinction residing in the elimination of the lateral movement of the bolt to effect release of the shackle member.

In this construction, 26 designates the casing to normally urge the member 30 into its forward A position. This member 30 has connected thereto the knob 35, the shank of which extends through the slot 36' of the cover 36 into a suitably threaded opening in the head 29.

A shackle member 3'! corresponding to the shackle member ll of the preferred form is mounted in the casing and the rear bar 31 of said shackle is provided with teeth 38 to engage with spaced locking lugs 39 formed on the casing, said lugs having teeth 40 at their rear ends, with which the shackle teeth are adapted to interlock.

The forward end of the shackle is designed to engage with the upstanding post 4| formed on the keeper 42 secured to the mating sash, and it is to be understood that the shackle member is preferably made of resilient material so as to obtain a binding action, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of this form of the device'is as follows: When the lower sash is dropped into the closing position, the bolt member 21 is moved rearwardly by the keeper and simultaneously the shackle member engages with the post 40 and slides down the contacting face thereof. As the bolt 21 is thus retracted, the rear end thereof contacts with the rear cross bar 31 of the shackle and moves it rearwardly to bring the teeth of the shackle and lug 39 into engaging relation, clamping the two sash members together as described with reference to the preferred form. The engagement of the teeth is facilitated by the contact of the outer end of the shackle and post 40, tending to rock the inner shackle end downwardly.

When it is desired to release the lock device, the knob 35 is manually moved rearwardly until the beveled face 33 of the tailpiece 3| contacts with the rear bar 31 of the shackle sufliciently to raise the rear end of the shackle until its teeth are disengaged from the teeth 40 on the lugs 39, whereupon the shackle is freed from its clamping position. In this releasing movement, the rear portion of the head 29 of the member 30 contacts with the shoulders 21' of the bolt member 21, and continued movement of the member 30 carries the bolt 21 inwardly to effect release of the nose from the keeper. When the bolt has passed the keeper, release of the knob 35 will allow the bolt to resume its normal extended position hereinbefore described, under the action of its spring, the outward movement of the bolt also carrying the tailpiece back to normal position.

It will be obvious that other changes in the detail construction of this sash fastener may be made without departing fom the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Paten is:

1. A sash fastener comprising a casing, relatively movable co -acting locking members mounted in said casing and extending therefrom, and a keeper with which one of said members is adapted to interlock to prevent vertical movement and the other member at the same time is adapted to interlock to establish clamping engagement, said locking members including means whereby one of said members is operable by engagement with the keeper to actuate the other member into engagement with the keeper.

2. A sash fastener as set forth in claim 1 wherein one of the locking members consists of a bolt and the other consists of a shackle operable by said bolt in one direction of movement and independently operable in release of the members from the keeper.

3. A sash fastener as set forth in claim 1 wherein the casing is provided with shackle locking means and wherein one of said locking members consists of a spring actuated bolt and the other comprises a shackle member constructed and arranged to be retracted into the casing by retracting movement of the bolt, said shackle member being constructed and arranged to have movement independently of the bolt to establish locking engagement with the casing.

4. A sash fastener as set forth in claim 1 wherein interlocking means are provided in the casing for holding one of said members in locking position with respect to the keeper upon engagement therewith, said holding member being provided with means for moving it laterally to effect release of the interlocking means.

5. A sash fastener of the class described, comprising a casing, a locking bolt slidably mounted therein, a shackle slidably mounted in said casing in cooperative relation to the bolt, shackle locking means in said casing, said shackle being operable by the bolt in one movement of the latter to engage the shackle with the locking means, and a keeper with which said bolt and shackle are adapted to be interengaged.

6. A sash fastener as set forth in claim 5 wherein the bolt is movable to disengage the shackle from its locking means.

'7. A sash fastener comprising a casing adapted to be attached to the rail of the lower sash and a keeper adapted to be attached to the rail of the upper sash, a locking bolt in said casing engageable with said keeper, a shackle in said casing engageable with the keeper and disposed for engagement by the locking bolt when the bolt is retracted to produce clamping action of the shackle with the keeper to draw the sash rails together, and spring means for said shackle and bolt urging the shackleand bolt to project from the casing.

8. A fastener device as set forth in claim 7, in combination with looking teeth with which the shackle is engageable to hold it in the clamping position, one of said shackle and bolt members being laterally movable by the other to displace the shackle from the teeth to effect release of the clamping action.

9. A sash fastener of the class described, comprising a casing, a bolt member slidably mounted therein, a shackle member mounted in said casing in cooperative relation to the bolt member, a keeper with which said shackle and bolt members are adapted to engage to provide an interlock of the bolt with the keeper and clamping engagement of the shackle therewith, looking means in the casing with which said shackle member is adapted to interengage to hold the same in clamping position, and means movably engaging the bolt member for shifting the same into disengaging position and simultaneously releasing the shackle member from its looking means.

10. A sash fastener as set forth in claim 9 wherein the bolt is provided with an open slot and the movable means engaging the bolt memher is mounted in said slot, said movable means being provided with a cam element for engaging the shackle member to raise the same and effect release of the shackle member from its locking means.

FRANCIS N. HEARN. 

